Five Years Later
by Jovianokami
Summary: It been five years since Ex-Commander Ulysess Feral has left. Now everything is in the hands of Felina, Callie and the SWAT Kats. But things don't ways go the way you want it too. And the three learn the hard way.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: This take place five years after Shadow within a Shadow. The three chapters will be a Point View from Felina, Callie and the SWAT Kats. Enjoy! Also I want to say thanks to Ulyferal for beta-reading for me again! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I hope you can enjoy this fic!**

CHANGE OF COMMAND

Chapter 1: Felina Feral

He had failed to come to work that morning. She first learned of it when his Sergeant tracked her down.

"Major Feral!" The Sergeant called to her as she was headed for the flight line.

"Yes, Sergeant?" She asked halting in her tracks to wait for him.

"Ma'am, Commander Feral has failed to come into work today and I can get no answer from his cell, his radio, or his home phone. I thought you might want to check on him." The Sergeant said in concern.

"That doesn't sound like him. Thanks for telling me. I'll stop by on my way to city hall." Felina told him. He nodded and returned to his duties.

She frowned to herself. Hope he hasn't come down with something. That'd be the only reason for him not to show. She continued on to the flight line. She had been ordered to take some sensitive files to Ms. Briggs this morning and thought to get some flying time in. Now that she was a major and possibly next in line for Chief Enforcer, she had been forced to stay desk bound most of the time. She truly hated that. The only time she got out from under her paperwork was when an omega threatened. Sometimes she wished she'd never been promoted.

In very little time, she was airborne and flew toward her uncle's apartment building. He had insured a chopper could land there, years ago so it wasn't difficult to put it down and park. She went into the roof door and down a short pair of steps to the top floor where her uncle's apartment was.

She knocked loudly on his door but there was no response. Using the key he gave her, she unlocked the door and stepped in. It was silent except for the ticking of the clock on the wall near the door. She started to move toward the bedroom when she spotted the things on the coffee table.

She stopped and stared in bewilderment. There laying on the table was her uncle's badge, gun, and a letter. Troubled, she picked up the letter and began to read. By the time she'd finished, she felt shock, dismay, and sorrow.

She didn't hate her uncle. After all, it was because of him that she had joined the enforcers. The thing that bothered and annoyed her the most was his pig-headedness, stubborn refusal to accept aid when it was offered, and his constant concern over budget and property damage over the need to take out the bad guys. This was the single most important area of her relationship with her uncle that they fought bitterly about.

She was shocked that he had known all along about the SWAT Kats and had never told her. That he had guessed that she was seeing T-Bone was equally stunning. She read pain, hurt and angry resignation in that letter. It made her feel a combination of loss and relief. It felt strange to realize he was never coming back.

Suddenly, it occurred to her, she was now the next in line for Chief Enforcer. The Mayor had to appoint her but she didn't think that would be a problem. Her mind raced with all the things that needed to be done to transition the change of command.

She picked up his badge and gun and tucked them into her uniform coat. The letter she put in an inside pocket. It seemed fortuitous that she was going to see Callie now. They had much to discuss.

Callie's face was a study of shock, chagrin, and relief. To know Feral had known about her and Razor and Felina's relationship with T-Bone had been a stunning revelation. She felt strange hearing the Commander's pain and anger at what he perceived as betrayal. She had never given it a thought that he might be just as upset by their failure to defeat the omegas as the rest of them. His frustration with them all at not seeing him for who he truly was gave her a twinge of guilt. But it was too late to make amends even if she had wanted to.

Shaking herself, she prepared to handle the Mayor in quickly getting Felina appointed as Chief Enforcer and the ceremonies needed to accomplish it. No telling what things were going to be like now that Ulysses Feral had taken himself out of the picture. Only time would tell.

Five years later...

At first it had been exhilarating and extremely busy when she took command of the enforcers. Mayor Manx had been extremely upset and worried the city would be in danger but Callie had set him straight and things went smoothly after that.

Callie and her even celebrated with their lovers, the SWAT Kats, at the feeling of liberation from having to tip-toe around her uncle all the time and the fact they all had a freer paw in running things their way.

For the first four years that paid off. Except for a lot of grumbling by the Mayor, they had succeeded in keeping the city safe though there had been a bit more property damage than usual.

It started to go sour, for Felina, at least, when she realized her friend wasn't as much of a friend as she supposed. When she asked for newer jets and weapons, she found herself stonewalled.

At first she accepted that times were hard, the treasury was continually drained by the property damages caused by the omegas. She was willing to try and work around it. Razor even helped by giving her some upgrades for their weapons and jets that they could do with the stuff they had on hand. But gradually that was proving to be not enough. She found she couldn't keep fighting and keeping her troops from dying in droves without a major upgrade.

She was shocked and angry when her requests were being consistently refused for reasons of budget. It hit her finally that this was what her uncle had been fighting. This was why he was angry and upset that the SWAT Kats always managed to one up him because he was forced to make do with badly outdated tech, poorly prepared enforcers, and out of date jets and choppers.

When she buttonholed Callie about her very real need for funds, she found to her angry surprise, her friend had dug in her heels and had sided with Mayor Manx on this issue. Even though, Callie agreed some of their budgetary problems were caused by the Mayor's greediness for more monuments and buildings in his name and his grandiose schemes of making money by building expensive office space and selling it for obscene prices, she still would not budget or use her considerable skills to skim off some of Manx's profits to fund the enforcers growing needs.

She lost her temper and vented at Callie for aiding the Mayor in weakening the enforcers to the point of uselessness in favor of the SWAT Kats. She argued the SWAT Kats were good in the fights with the omegas but what about all the smaller scale battles, such as drug and gun running, mob wars, domestic violence (that was escalating), terrorists threats from other countries that saw the floundering enforcers as an excuse to encroach in Megakat waters by pirating their ships. All these things were being handled by the enforcers not the SWAT Kats and without the major upgrades, it would be the smaller criminals that take over the city and not the omegas.

Callie said she sympathized but that she couldn't give Felina what she wanted. Snarling in fury, Felina stormed out of the Deputy Mayor's office.

Things became strained between the Enforcers and the Mayor's office after that. The enforcers themselves were feeling the brunt of their Commander's wrath. But they understood why she was angry all the time. They were too were tired of giving their lives to save a city that wouldn't support them. Enlistments were down as many young Kats turned away from such a dangerous job that had few rewards and saw less and less successes against the bad Kats.

To make matters even worse, the enforcers were concerned and angry at what they could see was a more relaxed attitude by their Commander toward the vigilantes. Some agreed it was the SWAT Kats that kept the omegas at bay but many of the older hard liners were truly pissed that they were not able to do their job because of inadequate equipment and being shown up by the high tech SWAT Kats on a too regular basis. Their disgruntlement reached Felina's ears but she didn't know how to solve it.

This state of affairs began to take its toll on the relationships between the SWAT Kats and their lovers as well.

Felina's anger at her inability to protect the Kats under her command made her lash out at Razor. The strain between the two she-kats made it hard for the SWAT Kats to not accidentally step on toes when their lovers were at war. It made things strained and tight between the long time partners. Razor would take his frustration out on T-Bone whenever he and Callie had a fight. The reverse would be true when T-Bone and Felina fought as well.

What really steamed Felina was when T-Bone would make one of his sarcastic comments about how lame the enforcers were. She would immediately jump on him and tell him in no uncertain terms that she was fed up with those comments.

"You try fighting the crime around here with outdated tech. It must be nice to steal from the salvage yard to get what you need and have an inventor at your beck and call to whip up new weapons. But I don't have that option and you can thank Callie for that. She's refused every request I've made for more funds to improve my forces. So don't be making any more nasty, stupid comments about my enforcers." She hissed at him furiously

T-Bone back-pedaled quickly, realizing he had pushed her buttons one too many times. Unfortunately, nothing he could say could make the situation any better. He couldn't give her what she needed and her frustration was straining their relationship big time.

It was no better for Razor. The last time he was with her he was forced to listen to her complain about yet another request from Felina.

He tentatively tried to soothe things a bit. "But Callie, Felina's right. The enforcers are sinking. T-Bone and I are alright with the omegas but we can't be everywhere fighting all the other crimes this city is suffering from. Can't you find a way to help her?" He asked cautiously.

Callie's green eyes flashed with fury. "Mayor Manx has succeeded in draining the budget. I have barely enough to keep the city running. What Felina is asking is over a quarter of a million dollars to upgrade her enforcers and I don't have it to give her. But she won't listen." She snarled furiously.

"But, Callie there won't be a city to run if the criminals take over." Razor pressed, knowing he was putting his foot in it but also knowing it was the truth.

"I...can't...help...her!" She bite off every word. The evening deteriorated after that and Razor wisely left quickly, frustrated and angry himself.

Meanwhile in Enforcer Headquarters, more trouble was brewing.

Felina's officers had noticed a closeness between their Commander and the SWAT Kat, T-Bone. It had been barely noticeable when her uncle was around but then had grown more bold after he had left. It made quite a few of them suspect more was going on.

When she began to snub that same SWAT Kat a few years later and a strain was seen in their behavior toward each other during battles, many realized the pair could be very likely lovers who now had a falling out. This incensed quite a few of the old guard. Playing with the enemy was seen as betrayal.

Among the ranks, those most loyal to the ex-commander, began to foment rebellion. Cruel pranks, whispering in the halls, questioning orders during battles or ignoring them altogether, and showing disrespect for her began to occur with increasing frequency. The boldest among them would jeer and make comments about her lover.

She began to feel isolated. Her troops that used to respect her abilities on the battlefield were turning away from her in droves because of her affiliation with T-Bone. She cried to herself in private and railed angrily in public. She felt like blaming her uncle for all her troubles but knew that wasn't fair. After sitting in his seat for five long years, she now understood what he had suffered from the constant humiliation from the SWAT Kats.

She thought she had known what was the best way to help save the city only to find out it wasn't that easy after all. Callie was learning that the excesses she had turned a blind eye to with regards to the Mayor's shenanigans had finally caused the city to begin its long slide into chaos. Something had to be done but the only thing she could see was getting rid of Manx.

Meanwhile, Felina's situation had gone from bad to worse. Her ranking officers had managed to build a case against her. She was being charged with the betrayal of the regulations she had sworn to uphold with her knowing association with a vigilante.

She was formally charged and suspended from duty while her hearing was set within a week to face a tribunal of military leaders to answer for her crime. Callie had been required to appear as a witness for the prosecution. She too would be facing charges that she willfully aided and abated two known vigilantes. Her court hearing would be after Felina's in federal court.

While she waited for her hearing, Felina was forced to stay at home. Now she had lots of time to think and reflect on how everything had gone to hell in such a short time.

"Uncle, was it really this bad for you as it is for me now?" She wondered aloud.

Many miles away, in another country, Ulysses Feral was sitting eating a meal and reading the local paper. In the international section, he came across an article that talked about the problems Megakat City was facing. The Deputy Mayor and Chief Enforcer were being questioned in court about their alleged association with the infamous SWAT Kats.

"Trouble already rearing it's head, eh? Well…not my problem anymore." Feral said with a grunt of non concern as he tossed the paper away and paid for his meal.

He pulled his backpack over his shoulder once more and headed out. These last few years had been relaxing and freeing. He wasn't about to give them up for a city he no longer cared about. So no matter what the troubles were in Megakat City, he was never going back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: This take place five years after Shadow within a Shadow. The three chapters will be a Point View from Felina, Callie and the SWAT Kats. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: Callie Briggs

It was an ordinary day like any other for Callie. She walked into her office ready to deal with whatever hair-brained idea Mayor Manx had come up with recently and her usual important work of running the city. This morning she needed to finish the work she'd started on the new budget. She had barely begun when Felina hurried in.

She and Commander Feral's niece had an easy going working relationship and were friends because of it. They helped each other out the best they could and did things together on their off hours (which wasn't often). It wasn't surprising, then, to have her just walk in at any time of day. Today, however, it looked like something more serious was up, if the expression on the female enforcer's face was any indication.

"My uncle failed to show for work this morning. I went to his apartment and this is what I found." Felina said, handing Callie the letter.

Callie looked at her in surprise as she took the piece of paper from her. As she read, her heart did a flip flop. 'Oh, I really didn't need this today!' She sighed but then gasped as she made it to the heart of the strange missive. 'You're kidding?' She thought in amazement.

When she had finished, she set the letter down and looked out the window. At first she felt complete shock. 'He's gone? He just walked away from the city and his career?' It was just unbelievable. Her face burned a little with guilt as she thought over his heartfelt words of anguish and pain. She really hadn't been nice to him nor gave him any credit for caring as much as she did for this city. It was too late to say she was sorry.

And now he was gone. How would that affect them now? Well first of all, there would be no more roadblocks by a by-the-book, narrow-minded military leader. They could finally do what was necessary to protect this city. She felt a jubilant feeling about that as she turned back from the window and looked at Felina.

"Well I guess that means, you are the new Chief Enforcer." She said with a smile. "I just have to convince the Mayor to appoint you. I'll take care of that immediately then plan the ceremony to happen within a few days. This..." She held up the letter, " has finally freed us to do what we've always wanted to do for the city."

"Yeah. It's a relief alright." Felina said with a grin. "It was a shock though, to know my uncle knew who the SWAT Kats were really and that we were romantically involved with them. Yet he never said anything about it." She added shaking her head.

"Yes, that was strange. I guess we really never gave him credit for being a deep thinker and capable of keeping secrets. I wonder how long he'd known? Oh well, doesn't matter now. We have a city to run." Callie said brightly.

Felina nodded warmly at her and left to begin taking over the reins of Chief Enforcer. The enforcers were going to be upset when this was announced she was certain. It wasn't going to be an easy takeover.

Meanwhile, Callie marched into Manx's office and caught him before the fool could take off for yet another round of golf.

"Mayor Manx. I have something important to tell you." She began without preamble.

"Of course, Callie. What is it?" Manx asked, looking a little impatiently at his watch.

"I've received a letter from Commander Feral. He's left the city never to return. It's quite a shock and we need to replace him quickly. Since his niece has already been groomed for the position, it's only a matter of you appointing her Chief Enforcer immediately. I can get a ceremony put together before the end of the week." She said briskly.

Manx stood there with his mouth open in shock.

"F-Feral is gone! B-b-but why?" He finally stuttered, completely bewildered by this sudden event.

"Apparently, he's just had enough of trying to handle the city's problems." Callie said, shrugging her shoulders.

"But..." Manx objected.

"Sir, we have no choice. Feral is gone. We have to appoint another immediately." She pressed him.

Manx stood there a moment longer then sighed, "Very well, Callie, I bow to your knowledge on this. Let's get it done. I just hope she can do the job as well as her uncle did. I hate to think what will happen to this city if she can't." He muttered worriedly.

Callie just shook her head and went back to her office to prepare the paperwork.

Later that evening, she and Felina went to see their lovers and celebrate.

"You're kidding? He just walked away?" Chance said in disbelief.

"It seems we really underestimated him, buddy." Jake said as he read the letter Feline had brought. "It kinda makes me feel a little guilty not having known how he really felt."

"Yeah, right. He never cared for us or the city. I'm glad he's gone." Chance said shrugging off what was said by Feral in his parting words. He reached out for Felina and gave her a kiss.

Jake just shook his head. Being the more sensitive of the two he couldn't just shove his feelings of guilt and shame away that easily but he did push it to the back of his mind and enjoyed Callie's company and was relieved they didn't have to worry about being stonewalled by Feral any longer.

Five years later….

The first four years were great for her, Felina and their lovers the SWAT Kats. The Enforcers had taken the sudden leave of their ex-commander hard but had gradually come to accept Felina as a competent leader. Except for a handful of older officers who didn't like having a female as their Chief.

At city hall, Mayor Manx was even quicker to accept Felina but for an entirely different reason. Without the intimidating presence of male Feral to keep him cowed, Manx began to use the city budget on an unprecedented scale.

Callie tried to stem the tide of wasteful spending but was losing ground rapidly. She watched helplessly as the treasury dwindled. It was reaching the point where she was having a difficult time finding the funds just for the day to day operation of city hall much less all the public works projects that had be funded.

It didn't help that Felina, who had been happy with things up to now, was, at first, requesting, then pleading , and finally demanding an increase in her budget to upgrade hopelessly outdated training, jets, and weapons.

Callie couldn't make Felina understand that her paws were tied and that there wasn't enough money in the budget to help the enforcers. It wasn't that Felina wasn't listening as much as it was her frustration to help her troops survive was pushing her to insist.

The Deputy Mayor could sympathize with her but still couldn't help her and the last time they met in her office, Felina had stormed in a fit of temper and Callie was left with a throbbing headache.

On the home front things weren't much better. Jake was sympathetic to Felina's plight because he and Chance could see the enforcers failing to protect the city even more than before but they couldn't blame leadership for it. Though Chance had to learn the hard way to not say anything derogatory about the enforcers poor showing in Felina's hearing. She nearly bite his ear off for it.

But as time passed, even they had to admit, the enforcers were hopelessly outgunned, out manned, and outmaneuvered by the enemies of the city terribly. Instead of teasing them, the SWAT Kats did their best to help out more. This, of course, meant they couldn't work in the garage as much which left them short of money for the debt that still was hanging over their head.

Jake had tentatively asked Callie if it were at all possible to expunge the debt, leaving him and Chance more free to aid the city. Callie snapped angrily at him that the Mayor had been taking huge chunks of the budget for his own purposes leaving the city treasury constantly in the red.

"Then the only thing left is for you to find a way to give Felina the funds she needs to beef up the enforcers." Jake said reasonably.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Callie hissed furiously. "There...is...no...money!"

"Then there won't be any city left standing because the criminals will have razed it to the ground." Jake said a bit heatedly.

"I know that! But what am I supposed to do about it? The only thing left that I can think of is to replace Manx!" She growled.

"Perfect! Run for Mayor then." Jake said bluntly.

She blinked at him in surprise then sighed. He was right, it was the only thing left to do and she was the only one left that could...that's if it wasn't already too late.

The next week, Callie went to see Felina at Enforcer Headquarters. As she made her way up to the top floor, she was disturbed by the snips of conversation she overheard. After telling Felina what she planned and Felina seeming to be relieved by the new, she decided to wander the building a bit and listen.

By the time she walked through the lobby and down the steps to her car a little later, she knew Felina was in trouble and possibly herself as well. All over the building she had heard dissension. Hardliners for Ulysses Feral were fomenting a revolt among the enforcers. Cruel and nasty pranks were being played on Felina at every opportunity. Her orders were being questioned and sometimes flagrantly ignored. The worst she'd heard though was the certainty that their Chief Enforcer was too chummy with a certain SWAT Kat. No one came out and said she was in bed with T-Bone but there was plenty of fodder for gossip about her helping him way too much. Added to that was their anger at her seeming failure to help them get the needed funds to upgrade.

As she climbed into her car and drove back to city hall, Callie's heart sank. It looked like it was too late. The same brush that was tarring Felina was certain to come for her as well. She felt sick inside. The strain had pushed the two of them away from their lovers so now they didn't even have that support against what was to come.

As she knew it would the ax fell the following week. Felina was charged with fraternizing with the enemy. She was suspended from duty and remanded to her apartment until her hearing before a military tribunal. Not more than a few days later, Callie received a subpoena on herself to appear in federal court to answer to her own charges of aiding and abetting the known vigilantes T-Bone and Razor. All her hopes to save the city were ruined.

"Damn you, Feral! If you hadn't left none of this would have happen! Razor and I would still be together!" Callie hissed in fury by the injustice of it all, even though it was their own fault.

Many miles away...

In a village called Shiroi, situated in the high mountains of the north, cut off from the modern world by a ring of high mountains surrounding it, Ulysses Feral wandered in, looking a little worn and tired. He had climbed an impossibility steep pathway through the mountains to get here.

He had heard about it in his wanderings and was curious to see it. It had taken him the better part of a month to reach the village since he was on foot. He had collected camping gear and food along the way and lived off the land. It gave him a true feeling of freedom and helped keep him in shape.

As he entered the village proper, he was amazed at its simplicity and the friendliness of the natives. He came to what looked like a marketplace and attempted to get some ones attention to find out about shelter and a meal.

"Excuse me," Ulysses called out to some of the passersby.

"Can I help you?" A peach fur color she-kat asked from behind him.

He turned around and stared. "Ah…I…need…" Ulysses stuttered, tongue tied for the first time in his life by the sight of this she-kat. He was entranced by her long brown hair held in a high ponytail and emerald green eyes that stared intently into his golden ones.

"Help?" The she-kat finished for him with a mischievous smile gracing her beautiful face. She was wearing a strange outfit that was beautiful as it was functional. A sword was thrust through the sash-like belt with two fans. She was a petite thing that stood only as high as his shoulders.

"Yes." Ulysses said a little breathlessly, taken-a-back by the way she smiled at him.

"I'm Kino Makoto. And you are?"

"Ulysses Feral."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note: This take place five years after Shadow within a Shadow. The three chapters will be a Point View from Felina, Callie and the SWAT Kats. Enjoy! Ulyferela is beta-reader of this story as well. Also I use the elements and martails arts that are found in Avatar but I don't own them!**

Chapter 3: T-Bone(Chance Furlong)

Chance Furlong woke up at his usual time on a weekday morning. He and Jake ate breakfast and went down to the garage to begin working on the backlog of vehicles awaiting them. A couple of calls for the SWAT Kats the past week had put them seriously behind. They had managed to put a huge dent in their workload by end of day and were closing up when they had unexpected visitors.

Callie with Felina drove into the yard past Jake who was getting ready to close the gate. He blinked in surprise and closed the gate behind Callie's sedan then walked back to the closed garage as the she-kats were jumping out of the car in high excitement.

Felina was waving a letter at Chance. He smiled at her excitement even though he didn't know what had made her so happy and took the letter but before he could read it, Jake had joined them and took the letter from his partner's paw.

"Hey!" Chance complained mildly but was distracted by Felina hugging him.

"Woah!" Jake blurted out in shocked surprise as he finished reading the letter. "Chance read this!" He demanded handing the letter back to the tabby.

Frowning at his partner, Chance took the letter. His eyes widened and he sucked in a breath of amazement, jerking his head up to stare at Jake.

"Well I'll be damn. He just walked away? Wow! That's incredible." He paused to think about how this would affect them. "This is great news! Now we don't have to worry about the enforcers trying to capture us all the time and we can fight crime our way." He said, getting over his shock and grinning like a fool.

Chance ignored the fact that Jake wasn't quite as happy as he was about the new situation and frankly didn't care. All that mattered to him was he didn't have to tip-toe around Feral anymore and could now more openly see Felina. The rest of the letter didn't faze him as much as it did Jake.

"Yeah, it's a real load off our shoulders. Though I'm sorry I hadn't known how my uncle really felt all along but it too late for me to do anything about it now." Felina said with a shrug, she was more happy about being able to be with Chance whenever she wanted.

"I was feeling a bit guilty about how I treated him too but like Felina, I feel wonderfully optimist that we can now protect the city as we see fit." Callie said happily, accepting a hug from Jake.

"I don't know. This is all happening too fast! It concerns me that Feral knew who we were all along but said nothing. Are we sure he hasn't left anything behind that could get us in trouble?" Jake asked in concern. He had a bad feeling about all this.

"He took nothing with him. His apartment seems untouched, like he would return at any moment. If it weren't for his gun, badge and letter, I would have thought he was just trying to get our attention but I back tracked his last few days and found he had bought an open ended ticket. I located the bus he'd taken last night, spoke to the bus driver who had seen him and was told, my uncle had gone to he next city and got off. That's where his trail disappeared. I didn't have a clue this was coming or that he knew about us. But it doesn't matter, I think you're worried about nothing, Jake. My uncle is gone for good." Felina said firmly.

"Besides, Jake, if Feral had wanted to expose you guys, he apparently had plenty of time to do so but never did. He was just too arrogant to bother." Callie said in disgust. "So now he's gone and we are going to celebrate!" She grinned happily, hugging Jake back tightly.

"So relax buddy, we can finally do things the way we want to!" Chance said, still holding Felina and now giving her a kiss.

Jake shook his head and put the letter away in his back pocket. He was still a bit leery but was willing to forget it for now with Callie wrapped in his arms.

They went off to celebrate their freedom from the overbearing ex-commander and the promotion of the new Chief Enforcer. Things were finally looking up for them, no more hiding and no more going behind Feral's back to do things. They were free now and nothing was going to stop them.

Five year later…

The first four years were fantastic as far as Chance was concerned. Feral couldn't have left at a better time. He spent a lot of time in Felina's company whenever they were off work. Jake was having a grand time with Callie as well.

With Felina as Commander of the Enforcers, fighting the big criminals was far easier. Though there was some grumbling among the old enforcers, the newer ones didn't argue when they were asked to allow the SWAT Kats to take out the bad guys with them as backup rather than the other way around. Though more damage was done to property, the criminals were being caught faster with less loss of life and that was a good thing. Because of that, the old liners couldn't really complain much.

Chance didn't have to pussyfoot around when he wanted to talk to Felina as T-Bone, though he was careful not to be too personal so that Felina wouldn't get too much heat from her officers.

But as year five rolled around, signs of trouble were beginning to fracture the rosy picture. Chance didn't really catch on at first that the relationship between Callie and Felina was becoming strained. Fights about the budget for the enforcers was nothing new, so he dismissed it from his mind. However, as the months passed, the dissatisfaction of his lover was beginning to affect their own relationship.

It was when Jake told him Callie had refused to increase the enforcer budget due to Manx's sudden wild spending, he just nodded and spoke to Felina that evening.

"Hey love, I know you're upset but Callie will do something as soon as she can. It doesn't help that Manx has become a spending fiend. But, you know Callie has come through before and will again, if she's able. Cut her some slack, okay?" Chance said gently, giving Felina a back rub to ease her tension.

"I know she's having problems but so am I. My equipment is falling apart. Despite Jake giving us secret help to upgrade our weapons and jets, it's just not enough." Felina grumbled unhappily.

Chance sighed and tried his best to comfort her. He hoped Callie would be able to fix this before things got really bad but that hope was misplaced.

As the beleaguered enforcers tried to do their normal crime fighting duties with ever shrinking funds, obsolete equipment, munitions shortages, and excessive down time on too old jets and choppers, the SWAT Kats found themselves having to take up the slack in areas they weren't really qualified or equipped to handle.

Chance made the stupid mistake of complaining to Felina about the enforcers not holding up their end of the job keeping the city safe, Felina snapped at him in fury.

"It not easy ya know! Why don't you and Razor try working with out-date-tech and obsolete aircraft and see how easy it is! Then maybe you'll understand how it is for us!" Felina snarled.

"Whoa, okay! I get it!" Chance said raising his paws as if to say he was sorry for saying anything.

Chance was growing progressively unhappy as his lover grew spiteful and angry all the time. Now whenever they'd spend time together, it would always end in a fight. His partner was getting more of the same from his lover and this made the partners more irritable with each other. Every time one or the other would fight with their lovers, they would turn and fight with each other. It was an unhappy time for all.

By mid year, things were so bad, the tension between the four was now a constant thing.

Felina watched in angry frustration, as enforcer enlistments fell off dramatically and complaints among the active service members were skyrocketing.

The SWAT Kats were becoming frustrated as they had to take more and more time away from the garage they ran to fight crime. This put Chance and Jake in arrears paying off their debt to the enforcers for the repair of Enforcer Headquarters.

A constant growing anger and fear was building in the SWAT Kats. Anger at the things they couldn't change with their lovers and fear because the danger to the city was becoming so severe.

The strain was such, the lovers began to see less and less of each other and when they did see each other, it was to lash out at each other in frustration.

Chance was finally beginning to notice that the enforcers were in big trouble and the city was suffering for it. Nothing he and Jake could do made a dent in the ever spiraling sense of doom. He was surprised the big criminals hadn't taken advantage of the situation by now. He shuddered at the thought of what Viper or Dark Kat could do to the badly outgunned enforcers.

But that wasn't all that was going on that made Chance feel perhaps Jake and he should bail out. Whenever they were on scene on the ground, they began to hear comments from the enforcers that were far nastier than anything they'd said in the years before.

The worst comments coming from the hard liners that had been loyal to the male Feral. Though none came out and said he was Felina's lover, there were plenty of suspicions about it and her seeming friendliness toward them.

This was really bad, since he had tried hard not to give the enforcers an inkling that they were romantically involved though apparently their easy way of working and now their nasty behavior toward each other had given the disgruntled officers plenty of fodder to chew on.

"Commander Feral is far too chummy with that big SWAT Kat. Makes me wonder just how close she is to him." One enforcer said to his companion as they watched the Commander giving orders to clean up a mess made by Hard Drive.

"Yeah, I wonder too! When her uncle was around she thought she could get away with anything but now she can't even get us the equipment we need to stay on top. With him gone, we've gone to hell faster than a speeding bullet and those SWAT Kats she relied on so much aren't so hot anymore if the fights between them and her are any indication." His companion said snidely.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she and that big hunk were lovers!" The first officer said snidely making sure T-Bone could overhear him.

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at all. I think that partner of his is messing with the Deputy Mayor too. But things aren't going so well there either if the fight we saw just last week was any indication. Man, I thought Ms. Briggs was going to rip Razor a new one!" The other officer sniggered.

"It's really nothing to laugh about, though. This city is going to hell in a hand basket and those four are the cause of it." The first said more grimly, giving T-Bone a pointed stare before returning to work with his companion.

T-Bone had a hard time pretending he hadn't heard the pointed comments. It made his blood boil with fury but at the same time he felt a thrill of fear down his spine. This was real trouble. Felina could be facing charges of fraternizing with the enemy. This also told him that the enforcers were about to mutiny against their Commander.

He had to warn Felina that she was in trouble. Unfortunately, that just made her more angry and upset and ended their relationship for good. Chance felt sick about it because he really cared for her but this situation had just been the last straw. They parted with bitter words and hidden sorrow.

He'd come home to an unhappy Jake who had also broke things off with Callie. They didn't speak to each other, their mutual pain was too great.

Less than a week after their breakups, the action Chance had feared happened. They were taking a break for lunch and he had flicked on the TV. A news alert flashed on the screen and Ann Gora from Kats Eye News with a grim look on her face, reported that Commander Felina Feral had been removed from duty and placed under house arrest. She was being charged with fraternizing with the enemy and betrayal of the regulations she had sworn to upheld.

He and Jake stared unhappily at each other. The end was near. What were they going to do now? The final straw was a few days later when the news reported that the Deputy Mayor was being charged in federal court for knowingly aiding and abetting the vigilantes. Also Ms. Briggs had been subpoenaed to appear in the trial of Commander Feral.

After that last bit of news, Chance found himself in the hangar pounding bare fisted, the punching bag with all his might. His mind wondered how things could have gone so wrong in just a short time.

"How could this have happen?! How could everything we have tried to do go so wrong?!" Chance yelled out punching the bag hard.

'This all Feral's fault! This is his work! If I ever see him again I'll beat him to a pulp!' He thought furiously, continuing to pound the bag and bloodying his fists, trying desperately to rid himself of his anguish.

In the village Shiroi, Ulysses Feral was adjusting to his new life as a Shiroi warrior. He was amazed to note the village still practiced the old ways of living and fighting. They taught their kittens how to maintain a tranquil spirit and trained them in martial arts. Everyone in the village was capable of defending their homes with swords and ninja skills against those that sought to bring harm to their world.

He had found his new home at last and was very happy. He was learning the martial arts and was quite fascinated with how these people had found a way to bend the four elements of nature to their will. He was taught what the four elements were and what they were called.

Bagua for air, Northern Shaolin for fire, Hung Gar for earth and Tai Chi for water.

"You're learning the Northern Shaolin quite well Ulysses." Master Issun commented as he watched his student finish his workout.

"Thank you, master but I still have much to learn. If I'm ever going to beat…." Ulysses trailed off thinking of his rival, sweat from his intense workout making his ghea stick to his body.

"All in due time, Ulysses. There is no rush here. Overworking your body is never a good idea and does more harm to your spirit." Master Issun said gently, smiling at his pupil's enthusiasm. He knew Ulysses was thinking of his friendly competition with his friend and rival, Kazuma, an orange tabby tom, born and raised in the village. Kazuma was an earth bender who was still learning to master the Hung Gar style of fighting.

"You are right, Master Issun. Thank you for the day's lessons. May I take my leave?" Feral asked quietly, properly chastised for his impatience. He was learning very quickly how to be more at ease and less stressed. He felt really good about himself of late.

"You may. I do believe Makoto is waiting for you. I saw her with a bento box so she must have brought you lunch." Master Issun said, smiling to himself, certain Ulysses hadn't heard him since his pupil was already hurrying out the dojo entrance to meet his lover. 'Ah, to be young and in love.' Master Issun thought with a sigh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note: This take place five years after Shadow within a Shadow. The three chapters will be a Point View from Felina, Callie and the SWAT Kats. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Razor (Jake Clawson)

The day Feral had left the city, Jake Clawson had awakened at his usual time, about an hour before Chance and went downstairs to make them breakfast. Chance joined him in time to eat together. They put their dishes in the sink and went down to open the garage and get to work. Their workload had backed up because of being called out as the SWAT Kats a few to many times recently.

They had no interruptions so succeeded in making a dent in their workload by the time they closed the garage for the day. As Jake began to close the gate, Callie's green sedan came speeding toward their place. He waited for her to enter before closing the gate behind her car, leaving it unlocked.

As he walked to their car, Callie and Felina jumped out and rushed to them in excitement. Jake looked over at Chance who just shrugged, his arms filled like his friends with a happy she-kat.

Felina was waving a piece of paper urging Chance to read it. When Chance simply took it but didn't look at it, Jake pulled away from Callie to snatch it from his friend's paw.

Chance protested half-heartedly but Jake ignored him and read the paper.

It was a letter and his eyes widened when he read it's contents. His heart squeezed with sorrow as he felt the writer's anguish, loneliness, and pain. He couldn't believe he'd never seen this side of Feral before. It made him feel bad as he urged Chance to read it too

"Well I'll be damn. He just walked away? Wow! That's incredible." Chance said in amazement then paused to think about how this would affect them.

"This is great news! Now we don't have to worry about the enforcers trying to capture us all the time and we can fight crime our way." The tabby said, getting over his shock and grinning like a fool.

Jake could only shake his head at that comment. All this time Feral knew who they were and that they had a relationship with Callie and Felina. He could only image what Feral felt when he found out about his niece and Chance dating.

While the others were celebrating their new freedom, Jake couldn't help but feel something bad was going to happen because of this event but he pushed it back into the recesses of his mind when Callie came to him, hugging and kissing.

Five years later…

Everything in the first four years was going great for them. He and Chance were able to spend more time with Callie and Felina which was a big plus.

Though Jake could see the old Enforcers weren't happy about Felina taking command, the younger ones had no problem with it and made no complaint when the SWAT Kats aided them. Crime was being held down and the big criminals were being kept from destroying the city so what was there to complain about? With the enforcers off their backs, it was far easier to fight crime for the SWAT Kats.

Everyone seemed happier that Feral was gone especially Mayor Manx. Without Feral's more tempering presence, Manx was more bold about dipping into the city's budget to fund his risky and half baked ideas for making money.

This behavior began to have far reaching consequences. At first only Callie bore the brunt of the Mayor's spending habit but soon it began to spread out. Felina was the next to feel it when her requests for assistance for her Enforcers was met with refusal.

At first, Felina understood the problems Callie was having but as the pressure mounted at Enforcer Headquarters about lack of funds for upgrades, new training to keep ahead of the more well funded criminals, weapons and equipment becoming more critical, Felina could no longer be understanding.

Jake thought he could ease the situation for Felina by secretly giving her plans to help her research and development upgrade their equipment. This only help a little. The problems just were getting too widespread and too costly. Felina had to press Callie saying she couldn't possibly stay ahead of the increasing crime wave without an increase in her budget.

Callie had to angrily tell her there was no money she could give her. Their twin frustrations strained their friendship to the breaking point.

Meanwhile, the SWAT Kats began to feel overwhelmed. They were never supposed to handle regular crime problems. They just weren't equipped for it but as enlistments to the enforcers began to drop alarmingly and crime jumped up, the SWAT Kats found themselves doing regular police work. Jake had never been required to deal with such things since leaving the enforcers so was completely unprepared to deal with the emotional overload these extra responsibilities were causing.

As they struggled with handling an ever increasing workload to fight crime, their garage work fell hopelessly behind putting them behind on their payments to the Enforcers for their damaged flight line. Meanwhile, their relationships with Callie and Felina were falling apart. The fighting between the she-kats had spilled over to their lovers causing frequent fights.

Jake tried to tell Callie that Felina was only trying to do what she could with nothing and was desperate for help and that he and Chance were feeling overwhelmed by handling nearly all the crime in the city but his approach only won him a furious tirade from Callie about her budget woes.

Jake mourned the loss of the closeness he and Callie once had. He watched as the same thing was happening to Chance and Felina. He could see things were coming to a head.

It was only a matter of time before the katizens of Megakat City revolted against Mayor Manx for his excesses.

"Callie, the only way we could save the city is for you to run for Mayor." Jake said one night, hoping to avoid another fight.

"Believe me, I realize that Jake but the people perceive me as part of the problem and may not want me either." She said flatly.

"But you won't know unless you try, Callie." Jake begged.

She sighed and stared at him a moment. "Alright, I'll try but I have a bad feeling its already too late." She said unhappily. Privately, Jake thought she was right.

As time passed, the lovers were seeing less and less of each other and when they did find time to see each other it was to fight. Things at Enforcer Headquarters were becoming more difficult for Felina as whispers about her suspected love life with T-bone, her commanding skills and her inability to get them what they needed began to become louder and louder.

Jake tried to have Callie hurry and make her bid for Mayor but it seemed she felt there was still time. This of course led to a more vicious fight than any they'd ever had and ended in Jake finally breaking things off with her. Despite the pain and unspoken words between them, Jake left.

When he got home, he found Chance sitting on the sofa drinking alcohol. It was clear he and Felina had broken up as well. What a pair they made...neither able to comfort the other...the pain was too raw.

As his world began to fall around him, Jake as Razor began to hear the gossip among the enforcers whenever they were at a crime scene. It was vicious and nasty. Despite their care to keep their private lives separate from their SWAT Kat ones, the enforcers had still been able to see the writing on the wall of two pairs of lovers suffering a major breakup that affected everyone. Mutiny filled the air.

Only a few weeks later, Jake and Chance were watching Kats Eye News with Ann Gora presenting the news about Felina and Callie. Felina Feral had been removed from duty and placed under house arrest. She was being charged with fraternizing with the enemy and betrayal of the regulations she had sworn to upheld. While the Deputy Mayor was being charged in federal court for knowingly aiding and abetting the vigilantes. Also Ms. Briggs had been subpoenaed to appear in the trial of Commander Feral.

Chance violently shut the TV off and disappeared down to the hangar to take his fury out on an exercise bag. Jake sat there in stunned horror at the blank TV for some time. Finally, he slowly got up and made for his bedroom. He went to the top drawer of his dresser and pawed around until he found the crumpled letter.

He dropped down on his bed and reread the emotional letter from Ulysses Feral. He swallowed painfully as he lowered the letter and stared out his window.

"He knew! He knew all along what would happen. We ignored his warning and this is the price we're paying." Jake said aloud, his voice filled with anguish.

In the Shiori Village a festival was being set up. Ulysses Feral was helping his lover Makoto set up a booth. He was quite enjoying life in his new home. He felt laid back about things and his temper was calm and easy, no longer easily triggered to anger. As he helped Makoto set up the stuff required for cooking Ramen, an orange tabby walked up.

"Yo, Ulysses! I need your help!" Kazuma said with a grin.

"What? You can't see I'm busy?" Ulysses asked him with equal parts amusement and annoyance.

"You look like you're nearly done. I need help passing out these flyers about the festival. It'll just take about five minutes." Kazuma coaxed his friend.

"No way. You volunteered for it not me..." Ulysses began to protest but Kazuma interrupted.

"Fine, if you don't want to help, then I guess I have to tell everyone about your little moonlight swim." He threatened while hiding a smile of mirth.

"You wouldn't dare!" Ulysses gulped.

"Try me." Kazuma said smirking as Ulysses and Makoto blushed.

"Oh, I'll get you for this! Give me those flyers!" Ulysses snarled unhappily grabbing the pawful of flyers his friend handed him.

Kazuma merely chuckled good-naturedly, but knew he would have to be on his guard. Ulysses would no doubt find something about him that would be even more embarrassing than what he had on his best friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note: This take place five years after Shadow within a Shadow. The three chapters will be a Point View from Felina, Callie and the SWAT Kats. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: The End of an Era

It was a peaceful day in the village of Shiori as Ulysses strolled down it streets. The festival was months past and his best friend, Kazuma had left the village for a while to do some self training. Ulysses' mate, Makoto was in the last stages of her pregnancy and was resting so he'd gone into the village to stroll around, enjoy the shops, and try to ease his boredom having nothing to do at the moment. But after an hour or so, seeing nothing he needed or wanted, he left the village for the new home he had built.

Their new place served two purposes, a home at the rear and a dojo training hall for earth fighters at the front. He walked up to the little picket fence he'd built and down the side of the dojo to a door at the rear. He opened it and stepped inside. As he crossed the living area he could hear water running in the kitchen. He sighed deeply and moved toward the sound. Makoto was washing dishes from this morning.

"Hon, you should be resting." Ulysses said gently, making a move to take over the work.

"It's fine, my love, it's done. I just get so restless sitting around." Makoto said putting the dish rag down.

"Alright, but rest after this, okay?" He said warmly, giving her a hug. He sighed happily as he felt his kitten kick against his paw.

"Uly, I want to ask you something." She said, looking up into her mate's face.

"Hmm?"

"Don't you think it's time to inform your family about us? The kitten is due soon and…" She began hesitantly.

"I don't have any family." He said rather bluntly.

Makoto blinked, taken aback by his stiff manner. In all the time she had known him, Ulysses had never mentioned family or friends or even where he had come from. Whenever she tried to open a discussion on the subject he would grow silent then change the subject. She suspected something unpleasant had happened in his past and that he wished to keep it distant from his new life.

"But once upon a time there had been." She said with a questioning look.

"Of course but they are only related by blood. They don't think of me as family and so, neither do I.." He said flatly, hoping she wouldn't pursue it any further.

"Ulysses?" Makoto said in concern.

Ulysses stared into his mate's eyes and saw the worry for him there. He sighed mentally. He hadn't meant to upset or confuse her. Perhaps it was time he told her about his past, she was his mate and deserved to know who he had been before coming here.

In his new home, family and friends were important even families not related by blood. All were treated with love and respect. It's what he loved about this place.

"Here, sit my love. It's not a happy story but you should know it." He said, helping her sit at their kitchen table. "I came from a place called Megakat City. I was Commander of the military forces there. All that's left of my blood family is my brother and his daughter. Felina was her name and she was a Lieutenant under me. Megakat City was troubled by super criminals that constantly tried to take over the city. The mayor cut my budget so often and so badly that I could not always keep the criminals at bay. A pair of vigilantes appeared and were able to beat the super criminals and because of their interference and success, I was constantly ridiculed by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the Katizens for failing to do my job." He paused a moment, the memory of his treatment a momentary pain to his heart.

"But, surely someone was trying to help you?" Makoto asked, distressed he could have been so alone in his fight to save his city.

"Once, but she turned on me. My niece had been my most trusted officer but she became too involved with the SWAT Kats. The Deputy Mayor had done the same thing. Neither saw me as doing the best I could with my paws tied by the ruinous money making schemes of the Mayor. They only saw me as a hard ass, by the book leader and did their best to make trouble for me at every turn. Finally, things came to a head for me. I had known the real identities of SWAT Kats for some time but had never revealed it because I knew they were doing the city some good. But when I learned my niece and the Deputy Mayor had become lovers of the SWAT Kats, I knew it was time for me to leave." He finished bitterly. "I turned my back on them and vowed never to return."

"Oh, my love, I'm so sorry but are you sure your niece doesn't need you?" Makoto asked, grieved at her mate's unhappy past but trying to offer him some comfort.

Ulysses snorted. "Not likely. She had T-Bone, the friendship of the Deputy Mayor and Razor the other SWAT Kat. Whatever happens to the city now, it's their problem and no longer mine. The bond of family was shattered a long time ago." He said with a tone of finality in his voice.

"But she is family." Makoto tried once more.

"It obviously doesn't mean that to her anymore. She made her choice. She didn't even try to see my side of it. My family didn't know how to create the bonds that are so important between parents and kittens the way Shiori villagers do here. That is why this place is more home to me than there ever was. That's why I think of you and Kazuma as my family rather than the one I'm related to by blood. Do you understand?" He asked her softly.

Makoto studied him a moment then raised a paw and stroked his face. "Yes, I do. Though I've not seen it happen here, I've heard where families hurt each other; mother against daughter, father against son, brother against sister and uncle against aunt." She said thoughtfully.

He cupped her paw with his. "Exactly! There was no bond between us just nothingness and I hated that feeling more then anything. When I left, I was amazed at how much better I felt about myself and how free. I was finally able to be who I really was rather than the image everyone tried to fit me into. That former life was lonely with no friend, lover, nor true family." He said.

"Is that why you train so hard? To protect me, the kitten and Kazuma?" Makoto asked tenderly, beginning to understand her mate better.

"Yes! I don't want to lose my true family and friend. Not after all I've been through to find you." Ulysses said burying his face in his mate's neck.

"Ulysses." Makoto murmured, stroking his ear to comfort him.

"That's why I say I have no family outside of here. Please don't ask about them anymore." He begged softly.

"I won't. Family doesn't mean anything if there is no bond. I am so happy you found your way here because now you are with family." She said warmly.

Countless miles away, Megakat City was in turmoil. The once proud city government was on the verge of collapsing. After Mayor Manx made a deal with the city's money that backfired, the Katizens revolted. They were tired of his many excesses and began to stage protests. There were loud calls for his impeachment.

The protests would degenerate into riots that pushed the already strained resources of the Enforcers to their limits. Their new Chief Enforcer, Commander Steele had yet to prove his competence and his enforcers, both young and old, were becoming short tempered and angry waiting for him to fix things. Many of them sided with the Katizens about ousting Manx knowing he was part of their problem too.

The final straw to many was the loss of faith in the previous Chief Enforcer and Deputy Mayor. After the scandalous facts had been uncovered about Commander Felina Feral and Deputy Mayor Calico Briggs intimate ties to the notorious SWAT Kats, the Katizens demanded their removal from office. Felina was stripped of her rank and kicked out of the enforcers. Callie had been fired and told to leave her office immediately. There was violent hate mail sent to both she-kats and they couldn't go anywhere without being heckled and ridiculed. The newspapers and TV stations had a field day about the trials and the fallout.

To the Katizens of Megakat City, their woes were the fault of the 'Fallen Five' as they were called. The SWAT Kats had been lumped in the angry fervor that swirled around the two she-kats and the Mayor. Wherever the SWAT Kats went to help they were met with anger and curses. The Enforcers were much more vocal about their hatred for the pair and their interference. The newspapers were filled with the ringing cry to the defenders to get lost.

Just how much they were vilified by the public was brought home to them during a recent quelling of yet another riot. An older officer made it plain how they felt about the SWAT Kats.

"What's the matter hotshots? Not so hot anymore are you?" He said coldly, giving the pair a disgusted look.

"Get lost! You're the ones to blame for the shit that's happened to our city! You and your lovers deserve whatever's coming to you." A younger trooper jeered at them.

"Oh yeah! Come here and say that to my face!" T-Bone snarled, the constant nasty comments of the past few weeks finally getting under his fur.

"Enough T-Bone!" Razor snapped, pushing his partner away from a confrontation.

Razor could feel the mood of the crowd of Katizens as well as the Enforcers standing there. There was blood in their eyes and they wouldn't be satisfied until he and T-Bone were a bloody pulp on the ground.

"Let it go, T-Bone. We need to get out of here." Razor said, his voice tight with fear and sorrow.

T-Bone glared at him and pushed back for a moment. "But we..." then he stopped and saw what Razor had seen. Swallowing his anger he stopped fighting his partner. Without another word he dashed to the Turbokat, Razor close behind him.

T-Bone quickly took the Turbokat into the air and raced for their hidden hangar. They didn't speak on the trip home, each lost in their own thoughts. Once home, they jumped down from the cockpit and went to change clothes.

Finally, Chance couldn't hold back his anger. "This is all Feral's fault! He's the one who did all of this!" He shouted.

"No it's not." Jake said grimly as he closed his locker and turned to face his friend who stared at him in shock.

"What! How can you say that, Jake?" Chance blurted.

"Feral's been gone five years. All this has happened after he'd left. We have no one to blame but ourselves. We were so sure we knew what we were doing but we were wrong and now things have blown up in our faces!" Jake said grimly.

"No, I can't believe that!" Chance said, shaking his head and denying the truth.

"It's true! Feral warned us this would happen in his farewell letter. The letter we ignored. This is the price we pay for our stupidity and arrogance." Jake said flatly then turned away and went up to their apartment, leaving Chance to brood.

Elsewhere in the city, two she-kats were preparing to leave a city that no longer welcomed them. They were in Callie's apartment. Felina sat on the couch and watched Callie pack her apartment.

"What are you going to do now Felina?" Callie asked, as she moved around the room, picking up things and placing them in the boxes on the floor.

"The same as you, I guess. Find a new home and make a new start." Felina said with a sigh.

"I can't believe how much everyone hates us now. It was hard going into my office to clean out my desk with all those hostile looks I was getting." Callie said unhappily as she packed away her books.

"Yeah, me too. Everyone in Enforcer Headquarters made it very clear how much they didn't want me there. It's utterly amazing that they would prefer that coward, Steele over me. God knows what's going to happen to the city now." Felina said heavily, her mind remembering the smug look on Steele's face as she left. No one gave her a second look as she passed through the lobby doors for the last time.

Callie stood up and placed a paw on Felina's shoulder. "Everything will be okay. None of this would have happened in the first place anyway if your uncle…" She started to say with some bitterness when she was violently interrupted.

Felina lunged to her feet and shook her finger at Callie. "My uncle had nothing to do with this! We did! This was all our fault! Why do you and T-Bone always blame someone else for things when they don't happen the way you want them too?" Felina spat angrily, pushing Callie away and leaving the former Deputy Mayor's home for the last time.

Callie lowered her head in shame. Felina was right! She had always blamed Feral when things had gone wrong before he left but he'd been gone five years and this mess was all their doing. It didn't feel good to know they had refused to see that before and now it was far too late.

"I wonder if he even thinks about us anymore," She said aloud but silence was her only answer.

At the salvage yard, Chance and Jake were having a serious conversation about their future in Megakat City.

"Chance, buddy. I'm afraid we're going to have to leave. We can't stay here anymore." Jake said, not able to look at his best friend.

"I know. It's hard to believe how angry the Katizens are about us. But the danger to the city is still here. How can we just leave? Dark Kat and the others will be sure to take over if we do." Chance said worriedly.

"That's where you're wrong, buddy. I've been keeping a close watch on the that specific problem and discovered the country next to us were tired of the threat those criminals posed so sent in a special ops team to quietly take out every one of them. Everyone has been so upset by Manx's excesses and the trials they never noticed the super criminals were no longer around. Lucky us." He said sarcastically. "Anyway, only the usual criminal scum is left and the enforcers can handle them. So you see, we're no longer needed." Jake explained calmly.

Chance stared at him in disbelief. "They're all gone? And no one noticed? But what about our debt to the enforcers?" He said, shaking his head.

"I figure we could move to another city or country and offer our services as private criminal exterminators. Charging the well to do and doing it free for the poor. Also, I can make some money selling some of my weapon's designs and you can maybe be a charter pilot or we can run another garage and towing service like we did here. We'll pay our debt that way." Jake said, eyeing his partner to see how he felt about these plans.

Chance sighed and thought for a while. Jake left him alone and watched the TV, waiting patiently. Finally his best friend looked up. It was obvious he was unhappy but...

"Alright, let's do it. There's nothing else we can do here." He said heavily.

Felina had wasted no time leaving the city. She stayed with her father for a short time then took off for parts unknown. On her heels, Calico Briggs took a plane to a far away place. She watched the city that had been her home for so many years, pass her plane window with a heavy heart. It took the SWAT Kats a bit longer to clear out. They had to insure the hangar was completely sealed up, found a new place for their customers to go, then loaded all their belongings aboard the Turbokat and left late one night weeks later, destination unknown.

Now with all her former defenders gone, all that was left for the city to do to pick itself back up was to get rid of their weak Mayor. Manx wisely announced his retirement and quickly vacated the office he'd held for so very long.

A new mayor wasn't hard to find, much to everyone's relief. Amerada Slayer, a long time city administrator, who had a great deal of experience working under Manx and Briggs, was the perfect candidate and was willing to take over as Mayor.

One of her first acts in office was to put a stop to all the outrageous projects Manx had financed, shoving the money back into the sadly depleted treasury. The second most important thing she did was to increase the Enforcer's budget.

Now that sufficient funds were at hand, Steele finally got his act together and upgraded all their equipment, jets, choppers, and tanks then improved their training standards for new troops. With things within the enforcers improving and Steele turning out to be a good Commander, more Kats were enlisting, replacing the severely depleted ranks. Crime was going down and the Katizens were feeling much happier. The riots and protests faded away. No one mentioned the 'fallen five' ever again except as a reminder of how bad things had gotten under their regime.

As she looked out her window at a city at peace for the first time in decades, the new Mayor of Megakat City said with satisfaction, "Finally, this city is running the way its supposed to and everyone is much happier."


End file.
